Separate shootings might have link

Thursday

Aug 22, 2013 at 12:01 AM

STOCKTON - Police are trying to determine whether there is a link between two shootings that wounded three people along Lafayette Street over a span of about three hours Tuesday night, authorities said.

The Record

STOCKTON - Police are trying to determine whether there is a link between two shootings that wounded three people along Lafayette Street over a span of about three hours Tuesday night, authorities said.

Police believe the first shooting occurred about 9:10 p.m. near East Lafayette and South Union streets, but investigators said they received conflicting information. A 34-year-old man was shot in the abdomen and taken to a hospital to undergo surgery, authorities said. A 13-year-old boy was shot in the leg and taken to another hospital for treatment, officers said.

The second shooting occurred about midnight near East Lafayette Street and South Airport Way, two blocks east of the first shooting, police said. A man told officers he was walking in the area when he heard several gunshots and realized he had been struck.

An acquaintance walked the victim to a hospital for treatment, authorities said. Police said the shots may have been fired from a two-door vehicle, but there was no further description of the vehicle or the gunman.

"Investigators are definitely looking to see if they are connected due to the close proximity," said Officer Joe Silva, a spokesman for the Stockton Police Department.